U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,548 by Dotzenrod shows a novelty cap such as a baseball cap to which a can holder (also known as a can cooler) is attached by Velcro or hook-and-loop style attachment strips. The point of the invention is to allow the wearer of the “cooler cap” to have convenient access to a can cooler without having to carry it with them in a hand or pocket. While the “cooler cap” is an interesting novelty, it has limitations.
The hook-and-loop attachment strips on the “cooler cap” are visible on the outside of the cap or the outside of the cooler when it is in place, and can detract from the attractiveness of the cap. Also, these strips have a tendency to collect matter over time, such as fibers from the cooler, hairs, dust, and other matter, and can wear out or lose their effectiveness.
The hook-and-loop strips of the “cooler cap” can also be hard to pull apart, forcing the user to remove the cap, hold it in one hand, and using the other hand to pull the attachment strips apart.
Finally, the reliance of the “cooler cap” on hook-and-loop strips is limiting, in that there are not a lot of items that have hook-and-loop strips already installed on them, so there is no convenient way to hold other items in place on the “cooler cap.”
What is needed in the art is a novelty hat that can allow items to be attached to and stored on the exterior of the hat while avoiding visible attachment means, making it easier to remove the stored items from the hat, and allowing several different types of items to be stored on the hat.